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“ Please don’t call me channa, pingu-pongu, betu, chotu-pattu in college ma” my son instructed before leaving for the orientation program on the first day of his college life.

“Hmm..will try my best” I smiled and looked at him from the corners of my eyes…the lad is all grown up.

School days are over for son and he is ready for yet another milestone in his life’s journey. We packed his bags and were on our way to attend the orientation program in his college and also to help him settle comfortably in the hostel later.

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments”~ Rose Kennedy.
Well, well…it took almost 25 years and an article in New paper for my mom to get convinced that I am doing well in life.
I left Udaipur in 1990 for higher studies and worked for a few years before getting married & settling in Chennai for good. But then, my mom was always concerned about me leaving my job, until I got myself involved in activities related to my blog Lite Bite.
Later, whenever I called her to tell about my …

“Here is your copy from editors’ desk” said the delivery man and handed over the parcel to me. My heart started pounding faster and my fingers flipped the pages recklessly. “Relax mom, your articles will be there in it” son understood my eagerness and took the magazine from my hand.

Whoosh…a small booklet slipped from inside the magazine and fell on the ground. My eyes popped out to see my picture there.

Hmm…the thrill of seeing yourself in print ….the best adrenaline rush you could ever get I suppose.

Well, adrenaline rush or not, this assignment did make my diet graph plunge into a nose-dive. Yes, I am struggling to ward off those calories I gained after each recipe was done with 🙂

A moment that lasted an eternity.….It was a weekday when I got a call from the talented & inspiring co-author of two wonderful cook books Mrs. Pratibha Jain. She invited me to be on the panel of judges along with some of the industry bigwigs and renowned chefs for a culinary event. The event is being conducted by a group of enthusiastic youngsters from Rajasthan in India, who are working towards many social causes in the city. I received my formal e-card invitation from the organizers and was given a warm welcome by the ladies wing chairman Navaneet and other members of the group.

The rustic iron Wok which was abandoned long back sits pretty in the backyard of my mom’s place after the entry of that swanky oven in her kitchen. This black heavy-bottom wrought iron wok has been a part of our childhood memories for long. The melt-in-mouth cookies, Naan Khatais, Baatis and sort of spongy cakes she baked in it makes this ‘wok’ an important part of our growing years.

These Chickpea flour (besan) cookies were the most baked goodies in our indigenous oven. Half of the wok was permanently filled with sand and a thin aluminum plate served as the baking tray to bake.

If being stupid, selfish, and having good health are the three requirements for happiness then I must admit that I am a mix of all the three! Let me unveil it for you…the recent after effects of the Indonesian earthquake in India had a mild effect on the properties but caught many people unaware. I was sitting on my dinning table with one hand on my laptop and the other hand holding a tea cup when the incident occurred. Suddenly I felt my heart pumping faster and I could hear my heart beat clearly. I started to sweat and my hand was trembling with the tea cup in it. It did not occur to me that this could be due to an earthquake. I started relating the symptoms with my 40 plus status and all the medical ailments that could remember at that time. I was paying attention to all the minute details of what was happening to me so that I could explain the same to my doctor….phew. Yes, I was scared out of my wits.

A phone call from Hubby to inquire if I felt the earth quake relieved me and I screamed ” What, an earthquake, thank God”. Confused and a bit startled to comprehend my insane statement, he cut the line. Being selfish is not a bad thing if it makes you happy without hurting others 🙂

“Be ready to join a Pot luck party in the evening, oh..and please if you can prepare a dessert it would be great” *click and the line got cut. This was my dear hubby who has given me four hours time before I could be ready with the dessert, kids and myself for the evening party. Mom is the last word for me when zillions of cook books and Google searches fail to give a result that is satisfactory. The frenzied search for a Vegan dessert (the host of the party prefer vegan) went futile and I had to call mom for help. Without even taking a moment she suggested I make fresh Corn pudding after confirming that I had corn in my pantry.

Never knew the worth of mom’s cooking until I started to cook myself. All of a sudden the spices did not impart the same flavors, veggies did not taste as fresh as they did when she cooked with them and there was always something missing in the final recipe. Could not figure out the reason for quite a long time, till I discovered the secret ingredient in all her recipes and that is ‘The love‘ which she pours every time in it when she cooks.

We do differ in many aspects of life and cooking, which include her love for oil and chilly and her ways of parenting. But then such differences are what makes life more spicy and worth living 🙂 And yes I do love you Mom!